


Love and Cacti

by DrChickenSlinger



Category: Naruto
Genre: GaaLee, LeeGaa, M/M, flower shop au, i guess?, i have no idea how any of this works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-23 20:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17690066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrChickenSlinger/pseuds/DrChickenSlinger
Summary: Gaara’s cactus is dying and Lee decides to help out.





	Love and Cacti

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my name is drchickenslinger and I love writing disgustingly cliche fics because I’m sad all the time. Thank you to the gaalee biker gang discord for being sweet as usual and especially thank you to Freddie for reading my gross writing ahead of time and constantly putting up with my pathetic self. They are enbybi on tumblr (follow for excellent shit posts) and dominopes here on ao3. Go check them out! They are amazing!

Lee sat down on a stool and gave a heavy sigh as a bell sounded signaling the closing of the front door. He had been helping Ino in her family’s flower shop for the past few weeks, and it was starting to take a toll on him. Of course he was happy to help out his friend, he would do anything for his friends! But, the constant demands of husbands who had missed an anniversary, begrudging girlfriends wanting to know exactly how to say “screw you” in flower language to their disapproving mothers, and the little old lady who demanded that Lee explicitly explain how to take care of her lilies. They weren’t even in season for goodness sake!

Lee stretched as he looked around at the finally empty shop. His legs began to twitch, a reminder of all the training he’d missed since he’d been covering for Ino every day. Her family was called off to Iwagakure for an important intel mission, one that only the Yamanaka’s and their highly esteemed jutsu were capable of. She had left with nothing more than a hurried kiss on the cheek, a whispered (yet deadly) threat of a painful death if anything bad happened, and a detailed list of daily maintenance required for the shop and the store. Lee ran his finger down the now very wrinkled paper and sighed, double checking what else needed to be done before he left for the day. 

“Let’s see...” Lee said to the empty shop. “I already pruned all of the flowers, the bouquets for tomorrow have been made. Looks like I just need to sweep and then I can head home for some vigorous training!” Lee punched the air, ending the movement with an energetic thumbs up. He adjusted his flowery pink apron and grabbed a broom, turning to flip on the stereo as a funky electronic beat began to play. 

Lee hummed along as best as he could to the music while he began to collect the dirt from the busy day into a pile on the floor. Every once in awhile, when the rhythm really spoke to him, Lee would snap his fingers and wiggle his butt. To anyone looking into the shop, Lee was having a fit of some sorts. But to him, he was shaking the cobwebs that came with being cooped up in a flower shop all day out of his body. He went behind the counter to grab the dust pan just as the beat escalated and became more intense. Lee, unable to control himself any longer, jumped into the air, kicking his right then left leg. He landed on his right, twirling out of the motion, just to jump back out of it slamming both feet back to the ground. 

As soon as he landed, the door slammed open. Chakra roiled in the air as Lee fell right onto his behind into the dirt pile he had just so neatly created. He lay on his back, sweating slightly as the dust rose around him making him sneeze. He looked up at the ceiling and smiled. To most people, this amount of chakra would mean extreme danger and iminent death. To him, it meant his friend was around. 

“Where is Yamanaka?” A deep voice, smooth as silk, asked Lee as he sat up and began dusting himself off. 

“Well, hello to you too Kazekage-sama!” Lee said, rising to bow at Gaara, brushing off his jumpsuit as he did so. 

“Lee, this is a matter of great urgency. Where. Is. Yamanaka?” Gaara said, forehead scrunched in concern. 

Lee’s eyes widened at Gaara’s formal and rushed tone. 

“Ino is on a mission in Iwa, she won’t be back for quite some time. Is everything okay? What happened, are you hurt?!” Lee asked, his large eyebrows pinched tight in concern. He grabbed Gaara’s shoulders jostling him around slightly as he checked his pulse, his forehead for a temperature, as well as his extremities to ensure nothing had broken. What Lee didn’t notice in his panic was the light flush to Gaara’s face as Lee touched him. 

“I’m fine, Lee,” he said with a sigh, pushing Lee back slightly. “It’s nothing regarding my safety or your village’s safety. I needed her help with one of my plants.” 

Lee’s face turned down into a slight pout. Even though he was glad the Kazekage was okay, he was a little disappointed that there wouldn’t be any youthful battles, one where he could test his strength and passion! His youthful vig-

“What are you doing here?” Gaara asked Lee, interrupting his train of thought just as the wood of the broom handle began to creak under Lee’s fist. He was sure that Gaara didn’t mean to snap at him. Lee blushed slightly and cast his eyes downward focusing on re-sweeping the dirt that Gaara’s entrance had disturbed. 

“Ino needed someone to cover the shop and everyone else was on a mission. I know that I am not the best choice for the job, but I am trying to make my friend proud.”

An awkward silence fell between the two men as the stereo continued to play. A small dart of sand shot out from behind Gaara, hitting the power button of the stereo slightly too hard. It clattered to the floor, sounding incredibly loud in the now quiet shop. 

“Oh, I am so sorry, let me get that!” Lee said, jumping to his feet to grab the stereo. After placing it back onto the counter, Lee turned to face Gaara once more. Gaara’s face twisted into a small grin, forehead still scrunched as he took in the sight of Lee. His outfit clashed terribly, green jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and hot pink apron. He was covered in dust and his normally smooth bowl cut was now tangled and dirty. Gaara began to laugh, the sight of his disheveled friend too much for him to bear. 

“Is something funny, Kazekage-sama?” Lee asked, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as he cast his gaze downward. Gaara stopped laughing abruptly, turning them into coughs. He took a few steps towards Lee, extending his hand. Lee stood still, unsure of what was happening but trusting his friend nonetheless. 

Gaara waved his hand slowly in front of Lee’s body, the dust slowly pulling itself away from Lee to form a small ball in Gaara’s hand. He did the same for the dirt now scattered on the floor and moved towards the door letting the small ball of dirt he collected find its place amongst the flower beds out front. 

“I’m sorry, Lee,” Gaara said, walking slowly back into the shop. “I have been in a lot of long meetings today, nothing getting done. It’s been a wild goose chase.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes scrunched in the fashion of someone who had a migraine that wouldn’t go away. “Then when I got back to my temporary place of residence, I found that the Konoha weather was killing one of my most prized cacti. It’s the only piece of home that I’ve had in the past few weeks while here. The thought of losing it was too much to bear and I rushed down here without thinking. My apologies for the mess I made and the way you were treated.” Gaara bowed in apology, but not quite as low as Lee normally did. 

Lee yelped at the sight of such a formal apology from such a dignified leader. He quickly pushed up Gaara’s shoulders, causing him to step back slightly from the force as Lee folded himself in half. 

“Kazekage-sama, please do not apologize! It would make sense that you would be so upset, that sounds like a truly awful day and an even worse ending! I know that I am no expert on plants as Ino is, but I will do my utmost best to help you, a dear friend and revered leader!” 

Gaara smiled gently down at his passionate friend. “Thank you Lee, I would really appreciate that.” A small sphere of sand moved to the counter of the flower shop. Once it landed, the grains of sand delicately pulled back to reveal a potted green cactus. It’s small body extended into three arms, each with a few pink flowers on the top. As Lee diligently investigated the plant, he noticed that the spines had begun to droop and the flowers were withering. 

“It may not look like much, but this is the cactus that Temari and Kanuro gave me shortly after the chunin exams,” Gaara said, eyes fixed on the cactus as if it would help him chase away the dark memories of his past. “It was a peace offering of sorts. I have managed to keep it alive these past ten years and I can’t imagine being without it. It’s a reminder of the bonds I now share, whether I am far from home or with those I love.

Gaara fixed his eyes on Lee who was tearing up at the accidentally touching speech Gaara had just given. 

“What a beautiful symbol of devotion to those you love. Understandably, this cactus is very important to you. I may need to do some additional research, but let me see what I can do right now.” 

Gaara nodded and picked up the plant, carefully handing it to Lee. Their fingers brushed slightly, rough hands touching soft ones as Lee grabbed the pot from Gaara. Lee moved towards the back of the shop as Gaara followed. 

“I’m assuming that this may be a case of root rot,” Lee said seriously, placing the pot on a back table next to a variety of gardening tools.

“I know what root rot is, Lee. I’ve been growing succulents since I was twelve,” Gaara huffed, eyeing the sharp instruments sitting next to his precious plant.

“Yes, Kazekage-sama, but your cactus is experiencing a change in the weather. You have been so busy with meetings, you have not noticed how humid it has been here in Konoha. I am assuming you’ve been watering it like you normally would back in Suna?” Lee asked, glancing over his shoulder at the red head. 

“Well, yes, I suppose so,” Gaara mumbled, not meeting Lee’s eyes.

“Not to worry! I know just the thing to get it on it’s way back to recovery! We will need to start by sticking it under a heat lamp over night. This will help provide the atmosphere your plant is used to back in Suna as well as help dry it’s roots out a bit. That way we can prevent the root rot from spreading,” Lee stated matter-of-factly. He turned from the cactus to begin digging through a cupboard. 

Gaara stared at his back, worry still clawing at him. He knew it was slightly silly, he had gone through so much in his life. Why does one tiny cactus matter? But to Gaara, the cactus was the only physical proof he had that the people he held so dear to him actually loved him. Even though people showed him love physically all the time, Kankuro bringing him a late dinner while he was finishing paperwork, Temari giving him hugs when he couldn’t sleep, Naruto slapping him on the back when he saw his friend after a long time. Yet Gaara chose to put all of his proof into the tiny potted cactus that Lee was currently setting under the red light of a heat lamp. This was another physical testament to someone’s love for him, but this time it was Lee’s.

“There we go!” Lee said, standing back to admire the set up. “Kazekage-sama, I will diligently study through the night to find the best way to quickly cure your plant. You can leave it to me!” Lee stuck out his thumb in his signature “good guy” pose. Gaara blinked at the formal use of his title. In all of his anxiety, he didn’t realize that Lee had been using it the entire night.

“Thank you, Lee. I truly appreciate you as a friend and as a shinobi. But please, I am your friend as well. Do not bother with honorifics.” Gaara took a step toward Lee, his body heating slightly. This he blamed on the heat lamp, though the red light had nothing to do with his pink cheeks. “My name is Gaara, remember?” He said, taking one of Lee’s hands in his own.

Lee blushed slightly, also blaming his reddened cheeks on the heat lamp. “Gaara,” he murmured, squeezing Gaara’s hand back. “I will do my best to fix the damage done to your plant. Please come by when you are available tomorrow and I will let you know what I have learned.”

“Thank you again, Lee, I appreciate it.” Gaara let go of Lee’s hand which fell against his leg with a light smack. “Good night, Lee,” he said as the sand from his gourd swept around him and away from the flower shop.

“G’night… Gaara,” Lee said once Gaara had left, mouth slightly open from the beauty of the sand jutsu. “Now… Let’s see if the library is open!” He said, shaking himself from the shock of the unexpected visit. He ran out the door and down the street in his bright pink apron, only stopping to lock the door behind him. He had a cactus to save.

The next morning, Gaara arrived at the flower shop to find it unlocked. With the caution of a seasoned shinobi, he pushed the door open and creeped inside. He carefully walked the aisles of the small store, trying to find his green clad friend but was only greeted by the greenery of the plants.

“Lee?” Gaara called out softly, slowly making his way to the back of the shop. He called his name out again, this time a little louder assured there wasn’t any immediate danger. After calling his name a third time, a loud snort sounded from the back room of the flower shop where his precious cactus was waiting.

“Huh? Wussat?” He heard Lee call out. The next thing he knew, Lee dove into the main area of the store in a somersault and sprung into the air, hand slicing down at his invisible enemies. “Come out and face me like a true shinobi! I will show you the power and pain of my youth!”

Gaara bit back a sigh and coughed lightly so Lee would sense his presence. He wanted to make himself known before he got a passionately youthful punch to the face. Lee turned at the sound of his cough and instantly turned the color of the bright red roses he was standing next to.

“O-oh! Gaara! I am so sorry, I must have fallen asleep last night while studying. Please forgive my boisterous entrance and disheveled appearance!” Lee said, trying to flatten his hair as best as he could. Meanwhile, Gaara looked him up and down, taking in the rather sorry sight of his friend. His bowl cut was tangled and messy having not been brushed yet that morning, dirt from the previous days work clung to his flower apron (which he was still wearing), and the bags under his eyes rivaled Gaara’s. Lee straightened to fully face his friend, body moving in a way that spoke of having fallen asleep at a desk. He stretched slightly, pulling one arm across the other to try and loosen his kinked muscles. Gaara tried not to notice the way his muscles moved as he did so. 

Gaara moved toward the counter to set down the two cups he was carrying. “Please do not apologize, Lee. I know you were here all night at my expense for which I do apologize. Besides,” he said turning to Lee, “you don’t look bad. Your bed head is quite...charming,” Gaara finished, bringing his fingers up lightly to touch the silky locks. The tips of his ears turned bright red as he realized what he was doing. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned back to the counter. “I brought you some coffee.”

Lee, not hearing a word Gaara was saying, touched his hair where Gaara’s hands had just been. Gaara turned back to hand him the coffee cup and all he could do was stare at it, mouth slightly open.

“Lee?” Gaara said, snapping his fingers in front of his face.

“Yes? Oh! My apologies, thank you so much! That was very thoughtful of you, you really shouldn’t have. Please, let me repay you for this it really is too mu-”

Gaara cut off Lee with a finger to his lips. He worried he had already touched him more than he should be, but he knew that if he let Lee jump into one of his rants the migraine from before might come back. 

“Lee, please just take the coffee. You are doing me a tremendous favor, it’s the least I could do.” Gaara pushed the cup into Lee’s hands trying to be very careful not to spill.

“Thank you Gaara, I truly appreciate it! And- er- I’ll probably need it,” he admitted, rubbing the knots in his neck.

“Lee…” Gaara said, narrowing his eyes. “Just exactly how late did you stay up?”

“Well, I fell asleep maybe… half an hour before you arrived?” Lee said, refusing to meet Gaara’s eyes. He didn’t mean to stay up so late! Whenever Lee became passionate about something, he struggled to do anything but work on that task with fierce dedication. But he would work this hard for any of his friends! Not that Gaara was just a friend… But he could never tell him about his true feelings. About how he loved the warm smell of sandstone and scrolls that enveloped him every time Gaara was near. How his green eyes reflected specks of gold in the sun. How he could communicate with his sand better than with words…

Lee shook his head roughly and threw back the cup, draining over half of it in one gulp. His eyes stung as his mouth burned. He forgot that coffee was typically served hot. But despite that, he noticed how Gaara had made it exactly to his liking.

“Thank you very much, dear friend! But how did you know that I take my coffee with exactly half a tablespoon of honey and a little bit of almond milk?” Lee asked, slowly making his way back to where Gaara’s cactus was waiting for them.

“Just lucky, I guess,” Gaara muttered, following Lee. He couldn’t tell Lee that he may have casually (at least what he thought was casually) hounded Tenten on a variety of Lee’s favorite drinks before the spunky brunette finally gave him some answers, a cheeky grin plastered to her face the entire time. 

They walked through the door to the back room as Lee drained his cup. Feeling slightly more energized, he clapped his hands together. 

“Right!” he yelled. “I was able to make it to the library before they closed and I believe I have found a solution. The heat lamp helped dry the roots. Now we need to remove the cactus from it’s infected soil and transfer it to a new pot. Once it has been removed, we can check the flesh of the plant for any diseased skin. If we find any, we will cut it out of the plant so it can heal.”

 

Gaara set his own cup down on the work table, wincing at the thought of cutting into his precious plant. Lee noticing this placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Please do not worry, Gaara,” he said, his usually fierce, round eyes softening. “I promise that I have spent a lot of time researching. This will ensure that your cactus stays around for much longer.”

Gaara moved his hand up to rest on Lee’s. “Thank you, Lee. I have faith in your research and capabilities.” Lee smiled at him, both of them looking into each other’s eyes. Gaara grabbed Lee’s hand off of his shoulder, squeezing it tight at their sides. They both expected for the other to let go first, but neither did. So they remained standing next to the cactus hand in hand.

“Er, right!” Lee said, pulling Gaara closer to the table. “Here is what the cactus now looks like.” Gaara noticed that the flowers had perked up slightly and the dirt was a lot fluffier. “The soil was very tamped down from the moisture, I went through and adjusted it a bit so it would drain better.”

Gaara nodded thoughtfully, commiting the new tips Lee was giving him to memory so that he would be able to use them for his next extended stay in muggy Konoha. “And do you have an available pot for me to borrow?” Gaara asked as he inspected the pink petals.

“I actually picked one up at the store last night! I did not want to use any of Ino’s expensive pots knowing this would be temporary.” Lee let go of Gaara’s hand and turned to a cupboard placed over a deep basin meant for washing plants. He pulled out a ceramic pot, deep black with a maroon half circle covering one side. “It reminded me of you, I thought it would be perfect for your friend’s temporary home.” He offered the pot to Gaara, grin blindingly wide.

Gaara grabbed the pot from Lee carefully, a small smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, Lee, that was very thoughtful. It’s beautiful.” He turned towards the table where the cactus was sitting. “Shall we begin the process?” 

“Of course!” Lee said, springing forward. “Let me get that!” Lee began to wrap his hand around the cactus without thinking. He jumped back, spines covering his hand and winced. “Er, I guess I should have used gloves?” He began to pull the needles out of his hand, but Gaara stopped him. Grabbing his injured hand in his own, he used his sand to carefully pluck out the needles.

“Your hand is covered in scars, it’s any wonder how you can feel the needles in the first place.” Gaara said, turning Lee’s hand carefully over in his to check for any residual needles.

“Oh, yes. I guess there are quite a lot of them,” Lee said quietly. 

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Gaara said patting his hand gently. “They are the mark of a very strong shinobi. I like them. But I think my sand would be better suited for this.”

Lee’s cheeks burned as he replayed that moment over in his head as a delicate thread of sand wound out of Gaara’s gourd. It gently wrapped itself in between the needles of the plant and lifted it slowly from the well worn pot.

“Please clean the old soil off of the roots while I hold it up,” Gaara said, concentrating on the precious thing his sand was now holding. Lee gently used his fingers to brush the contaminated dirt off the spindly roots of the plants. Once it was clean, Lee checked the flesh for any white areas. 

“It looks like you caught it in time, we won’t have to perform any emergency medical ninjutsu on our little friend here!” Lee said, turning to smile back at Gaara. He turned to the new pot and began pouring in a small amount of clean soil into it. Gaara gently lowered the cactus into its new home. Once Lee was sure it was secured into the pot with some extra soil, Gaara removed his sand from the plant, allowing some of it to remain behind. Even though he was the main controller of the sand nowadays, he still felt that leaving just a little bit of it behind would be good luck and help the plant recover quicker.

“There! Mission, ‘Transfer the Cactus’ is now complete!” Lee said, smiling down at the cactus in its new pot. The black paint complimented the pink flowers while the maroon and the green made a lovely match. He looked down at Gaara, realizing how close they were now standing. Gaara broke his eyes away from the cactus to look up at Lee. Their breathing stilled as they stared at each other, merely inches apart. Gaara glanced down to Lee’s lips and began to lean in. 

Lee followed suit closing his eyes when Gaara jumped back suddenly. Lee, flustered and stuttering followed suit and jumped back even further as he spluttered and turned bright red. “I am so sorry, Kazekage-sama, I did not mean to get too close and let my feelings get the best of me. I am truly ashamed of my behavior, please, you may take the plant and leave before I ruin anything else. I will be sure to let the hokage know you would like another escort the next time you come to the village.”

Lee’s eyes were drilling a hole into the floor while his body burned with shame. They both sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. After a few additional moments of waiting, Lee looked up slowly expecting Gaara to be gone. Instead, he saw him standing with his hand extended and his cheeks bright red. Lee looked at his open palm and it dawned on him that Gaara had touched the cactus resulting in him receiving the same prickly treatment that Lee had experienced just moments before.

“Lee, I wanted to kiss you. But in an attempt to reach up to grab your hair, my hand bumped into the cactus.” He began plucking needles out of his hand, glaring down at them to punish them for ruining the moment. “I really am quite fond of your hair.”

Lee stared at Gaara dumbfounded. Gaara wanted to kiss him too?

“Yes, I have known that I wanted to kiss you for a while now.” Gaara said, inspecting the now red dots on his hand. Had Lee said that out loud? Lee lessened the distance between them and cupped his hands around Gaara’s face and kissed him. Gentle fingers grabbed at his bowl cut as Gaara leaned into Lee’s kiss. They melted gently into each other, kissing slow and soft. They pulled apart, breathing lightly, but remained close.

“How did you know?” Lee asked, almost afraid of the answer.

“I was watching you do laps around Suna on your hands when you were dispatched there for a mission and it hit me all at once that I loved you,” Gaara said. “You’re forgiving, kind, and strong. I don’t know how I didn’t make sense of it before.”

Lee laughed lightly and pulled Gaara into a warm hug. “Want to know how I knew?” Lee murmured over Gaara’s shoulder.

“Hm?”

“I was doing laps around Suna on my hands once when I was dispatched there for a mission, probably the same moment that you are speaking of. I looked up and you were standing in the distance watching me. You looked so regal, standing with your hands crossed over your chest. I wanted so badly to hold you in that moment. I wasn’t able to rid myself of these feelings since then.” Lee pulled back and sighed. “I worry that moving beyond this moment may make things difficult.”

Gaara closed the small distance once again, wrapping his arms around his neck. “We can still try,” he whispered into Lee’s ear, placing a soft kiss on it after. They stayed in the back room of the Yamanaka flower shop for what felt like hours before Lee remembered that he still had a duty to Ino to fulfill.

Lee opened the front door of the store for Gaara who was carefully holding his newly potted cactus. “I have a few more days in Konoha, Lee. I would like to spend as much of that time with you as I can if you’ll let me,” he said, turning to Lee who was now much cleaner and more presentable.

“I would love nothing more,” he replied, grinning like a man whose love was just requited.

Gaara glanced around at the empty street and placed a light kiss on Lee’s lips, his hand lightly resting on his chest. He turned in the direction of the Hokage’s office, refusing to look back knowing that he would have the urge to run back and continue kissing Lee. 

Lee leaned against the door watching Gaara’s figure disappear between the different street carts and buildings. 

“Lee, what are you doing standing like an idiot out in front of my shop?” Ino asked, a fist on her hip. Lee had completely forgotten that she would be getting back today!

“Oh, Ino! How lovely to see you! My apologies, please come in.”

Ino walked into the shop as Lee followed. She carefully inspected each corner of her precious store, fingers tracing counters to check for dust and lightly brushing flower petals. “Well, everything seems to be in order. Thank you for your help, Lee!”

She gave him a big hug and began walking towards the back. Lee, suddenly remembering the mess of books and discarded soil, followed quickly behind.

“I do have a bit of a mess to clean up, but I will be done and out of your hair soon!” he said, gathering his library books and brushing off stray traces of dirt.

“Cacti, huh? You know we don’t sell those here right?” Ino asked, looking around at all of the materials Lee had gotten. “Wait a second… isn’t the Kazekage in town?” Ino asked, staring at Lee with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, is he?” Lee asked, gathering up the remainder of his books in one swoop. “I had no idea. Got to go! Please let me know if you need any help in the future!”

Before Ino could tease Lee even further, he was out the door and halfway down the street. She giggled to herself and settled into a nearby stool.

“Hey, wait! You still have my apron on!” Ino yelled as she jumped up and followed the dust trail Lee had made.

“That boy is hopeless,” she thought to herself. “And it turns out, hopelessly in love.” 

Turns out, he wasn’t the only one.


End file.
